Why is there a discount for blue fluorescent diamonds?
“A co-worker of mine recently bought a Brian Gavin Blue Signature round diamond, which is absolutely stunning. And he told me that the diamond cost less than other Brian Gavin Signature round diamonds that had negligible fluorescence, because of an industry wide discount that is applied to diamonds with blue fluorescence. I’ve read conflicting reports about the effects of medium and strong blue fluorescence upon white diamonds, with some articles indicating that it is likely to positively influence the color of the diamond, and others warning that blue fluorescence might cause a diamond to appear cloudy, milky or oily.”
“Is that why there is a discount for blue fluorescent diamonds? It doesn’t make sense to me since the diamond my friend purchased looks so spectacular.”
Why there is a discount on diamonds with blue fluorescence:
The industry wide discount that is applied to white diamonds that exhibit blue fluorescence has very little to do with the affects of blue fluorescence upon a diamond, and everything to do with the after effects created by investment firms in Asia refusing to offer diamonds with blue fluorescence in parcels of investment diamonds that they offered for sale in the mid-1970’s.
As I understand it, the investment bankers were simply trying to differentiate themselves from their competitors of the time, by offering investment diamonds of a specific quality, and they simply decided to offer diamonds that did not exhibit fluorescence. I’m not sure that they knew exactly what they were doing, because I happen to think that blue fluorescence adds a lot to a diamond in terms of visual appeal.
I also just think that blue fluorescence is cool, just look at the effect that blue fluorescence is having upon the Brian Gavin diamond engagement ring pictured above. But understand that the diamond looks perfectly normal, white, clear, and colorless when viewed under normal lighting circumstances. We captured the blue hue created by the blue fluorescence within this diamond by exposing it to black light while it was being photographed.
